DAY TWO: Surrey closed on 127-2 (Ramprakash 71*, Butcher 49*) in reply to Hampshire's 481-9 declared (Adams 86, Pothas 85*, Benham 76).

Hampshire made early inroads into Surrey's top order just before lunch today.

After Shane Warne had declared Hampshire's first innings at 481-9, Dimitri Mascarenhas claimed the scalp of Scott Newman with his fourth ball of the season - thanks to a stunning catch by Nic Pothas.

Mascarenhas is playing his first game of the season after missing the Friends Provident Trophy win against Middlesex last Sunday with an ankle injury.

But he took the new ball and Pothas, fresh from an unbeaten 85, dived to his left to take a one-handed catch to dismiss the in-form Scott Newman (0-1).

Newman made 124 and 89 in Surrey's defeat against Yorkshire last week and three overs after the left hander was dismissed, the last of the morning session, the home county's day got worse when a beauty from James Bruce found Jon Batty's outside edge and Pothas held on (8-2).

Mark Ramprakash and Mark Butcher helped Surrey reach 47-2 under increasingly leaden skies before Shane Warne brought himself on from the Vauxhall Road End to bowl the 18th over of the innings.

But just as the Hampshire captain was about to bowl his first first-class delivery since the fifth Ashes Test in January, the heavens opened and the covers were brought on.

A 70-minute interruption during which 21 overs were lost at least included the tea break but 6.2 overs later the players were off the field again after Ramprakash and Butcher were offered the light.

Hampshire had missed the chance to dismiss Butcher in the first over back. The left hander was on 21 when he drove at Tomlinson and Adams put down a chance he should have taken to his left at third slip.

In Tomlinson's next over, umpires Graham Burgess and Vanburn Holder gave Ramprakash and Butcher the option to leave the field.

It was not a decision that appeared to please Warne as the light was not the worst and Shaun Udal had been bowling from the Pavilion End, only to be replaced by Bruce after Hampshire's skipper had consulted with the umpires.

A further 15 overs were lost by the time play resumed at 5.50pm.

Ramprakash made up for some of the lost time when he danced down the track to Mascarenhas and deposited him over the deep mid-wicket boundary before reaching his fifty from 76 balls.

Warne began with a maiden over when he introduced himself into the attack to bowl the 32nd over of the innings from the Vauxhall End, with Surrey 99-2.

He immediately extracted significant turn against the left-handed Butcher. But in the next over Ramprakash struck two fours against the returning Bruce before hitting a six over long on when Udal came back at the Pavilion End.

At the close of play Surrey were 127-2, needing a further 205 for the 332 needed to avoid the follow on.

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After resuming on 352-6, Hampshire added 139 for the loss of three wickets in 28.4 overs before Surrey took their turn to bat this morning.

Warne set the tone but was caught in the deep following a blistering start to the second day's play from the Hampshire captain.

He was 6* overnight but added 42 from 52 balls to help Hampshire pass the 400 needed for a fifth and final batting point.

In a seventh-wicket stand worth 69 with Pothas, Warne struck two sixes, one swept against Nayan Doshi yesterday and the other clubbed over long leg following a full toss from Ian Salisbury.

Warne's fellow leg spinner had earlier had three lbw appeals turned down against the Hampshire skipper, who was eventually caught at deep extra cover for 48 (63 balls) by a diving Mark Ramprakash following a rank long hop from Jimmy Ormond (413-7).

Three overs later, Shaun Udal (3) was trapped lbw by Salisbury (416-8).

That was Salisbury's fourth scalp but he was soon struck for 20 off one over as Pothas and James Bruce each swept sixes over the longest boundary and against the practice netting during their 65-run partnership.

Bruce then cracked the slow left arm of Doshi for successive boundaries, including a six over long on, as Hampshire blazed 30 from nine balls before declaring.

Having reached a career-best 32 from 39 balls, Bruce top-edged a sweep to short mid-wicket, at which point Warne declared, with Pothas unbeaten on 85 (159 balls, nine fours, one six).